Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series!
180g Mono Vinyl LP!
Mastered by Kevin Gray from Original Analog Tapes!
Pressed at Optimal!

After Sonny Rollins first appeared on a Blue Note session as a member of Bud Powell’s Modernists in 1949, the Saxophone Colossus began building his name as a bandleader with a run of albums for Prestige before returning to make his Blue Note debut as a leader in 1956.Volume 1hit all the marks of a classic Rollins session with four hard-swinging originals that showcased the saxophonist’s robust sound and seemingly limitless improvisational creativity with a top-shelf quintet featuringDonald Byrdon trumpet,Wynton Kellyon piano,Gene Rameyon bass, andMax Roachon drums. In true Rollins fashion, the album’s centerpiece is a stunning ballad performance of an unexpected song choice: “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” from the Broadway showFinian’s Rainbow.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is mono, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

Upon listening to this, his fine debut for [Blue Note], not to mention classics like Saxophone Colossus and Sonny Rollins Plus Four, one almost takes for granted the tenor giant’s ability to reel off a nonstop flow of breathtaking solo lines while keeping an overall thematic structure intact. And even though it’s not as classic sounding as other Blue Note titles like Vol. 2 or Newk’s Time, Sonny Rollins, Vol. 1 will satisfy Rollins fans comfortable with a mostly loose and free-flowing set…-Stephen Cook, AllMusic.com, 4/5 stars

Features

• Blue Note Classic Vinyl Reissue Series
• 180g Vinyl LP
• Mono
• All-Analog Pressing
• Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from Original Analog Tapes
• Manufactured at Optimal in Germany

Musicians

Selections

Side I:

1. Decision
2. Bluesnote
3. How Are Things in Glocca Morra

Side II:

1. Plain Jane
2. Sonnysphere